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Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica
Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica Medellin’s main Cathedral, along with thickly shaded Parque Bolivar—once Medellin’s most important plaza—now seem suffocated by the claustrophobic urban chaos that is downtown. The narrow streets and gritty scene make it a bit difficult to appreciate this amazing st
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Cartagena Cruise Port
Cartagena Cruise Port The coastal city of Cartagena is one of Columbia’s most-popular destinations. This fortress of a city was once the center of politics and economy. Today, remnants of this past draw visitors to its idyllic colonial streets, ornate cathedrals and beautiful beaches, making it a
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Las Bovedas
Las Bovedas At the northeastern corner of the old walled city is Cartagena’s grandest arcade, stretching with imperial purpose from Santa Clara to Santa Catalina Fortress. Behind the 47 painted archways are a string colorful souvenir shops, well stocked with all the emeralds, Botero knockoffs, ham
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Rosario Islands
Rosario Islands Less than an hour southwest of Cartagena’s port is a fragile archipelago of some 30 picture-perfect islands, wrapped in shimmering white-sand beaches, and strung like rosary beads through the deep blue Caribbean Sea. They sit atop the world’s third-largest barrier reef, which has p
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Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is a unique natural ecosystem along the of the northern coast of Colombia. This majestic mountain range is the tallest coastal mountain range in the world, with the snow covered Simón Bolívar and Cristóbal Colón peaks rising 18,700 feet
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Cathedral of San Pedro Claver
Cathedral of San Pedro Claver Cartagena’s Catedral de San Pedro Claver, so close to the sea wall, seems unduly imposing for such a sanctified site. Begun in 1575, when this was a very rough neighborhood, its unfinished fortifications were destroyed in 1586 during a tiff with Sir Francis Drake and
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Lake Guatavita
Lake Guatavita The Legend of El Dorado, the “Golden Man,” once inspired the Spanish conquistadors to historic acts of bravery, blunder, and bloodshed. Those stories of outrageous wealth and waste almost certainly started here, with the glittering pre-Columbian ceremonies that once took place at th
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San Felipe de Barajas Castle
San Felipe de Barajas Castle Cartagena’s strategic significance as Europe’s conquest of the Americas intensified cannot be overstated. Some say that if the British had won the 1741 Battle of Cartagena, that South America would now speak English. They didn’t, largely because of massive El Castillo
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Zipaquira Salt Cathedral
Zipaquira Salt Cathedral Zipaquira’s attractive Spanish Colonial center, built with the wealth of the massive nearby salt mines, was founded in the 1760s some 50km (31mi) north of the Colombian capital. Today the “City of Salt,” replete with quaint cafes and souvenir shops, is Bogota’s most popula
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Museo del Oro (Gold Museum)
Museo del Oro (Gold Museum) Among Bogota’s most popular and spectacular attractions, the Museo del Oro sparkles with more than 55,000 priceless archaeological and artistic treasures. Only a fraction can be displayed at any one time within the main edifice, itself a work of art, ensconced in elegan
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La Candelaria (Historic Old Town)
La Candelaria (Historic Old Town) And even today it is the cultural heart of modern Bogota’s slapdash modern sprawl: the graceful and carefully planned Spanish colonial city center, known as the Candelaria. The oldest part of the city is now the province of young artists and bohemian university st
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Santa Marta Historic Center
Santa Marta Historic Center Santa Marta, surrounded by beaches and mountains, was the first city founded by the Spaniards in Colombia. Due to its cultural and historic importance, the historic center of Santa Marta was declared a national monument in the 1960’s. Five years ago it underwent a costl
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Metrocable
Metrocable The beautiful city of Medellin has an efficient metro system that runs north-south along the valley, but for many years the neighborhoods in the surrounding mountains found it difficult to get to the public transportation routes. It was difficult for buses to get up the steep roads lead
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El Castillo Museum (The Castle)
El Castillo Museum (The Castle) Visitors to Poblado, a wealthy area in the green hills of Medellin, are in for a surprise. Behind heavy iron, Gothic gates and amid trees covered in Spanish moss, there’s a 17th-century castle in the style of those in France’s Loire Valley.Built in 1930, it was late
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Crystal Beach
Crystal Beach On the edge of Tayrona National Natural Park and the northern coast of Colombia, Crystal Beach is one of the most picturesque white sand beaches in South America. Its clear turquoise waters provide ideal conditions for swimming and snorkeling. Many come to relax on the soft sand shad
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Tango Patio
Tango Patio You don’t have to go all the way to Argentina to experience the passion of tango. Tango’s second city, Medellin, where the famous tango singer and musician Carlos Gardel died in an airplane accident, keeps the seductive art form alive.One of the main stages for tango in Medellin is the
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MAMM/Museo de Arte Moderno de Medellin
MAMM/Museo de Arte Moderno de Medellin Medellin, birthplace of Botero, loves modern art. And though the tiny original museum (which still hosts some exhibits) was nice, in 2009 the city decided to remodel the fashionably industrial Talleres Robledo Steel Mill in Ciudad del Rio, near the posh Pobla
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Jardín
Jardín Jardín, a town in the mountains just four hours to the south of Medellin, preserves a colonial appearance that seems unchanged by the modern advances of this century. The town’s name is no mystery—its beautiful garden-like atmosphere and lush green landscapes enchant visitors. Enjoy th
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Plaza Botero
Plaza Botero You’ll see his art everywhere around Colombia: large women, round-faced children and wide-eyed animals. It’s the life work of Fernando Botero, the beloved Colombian artist famous in his home country and around the world.A visit to Medellin, where Botero was born, provides the chance t
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La Chorrera Waterfall
La Chorrera Waterfall A slim cascade tumbling nearly 2,000 feet (590 meters) from a cliff side in the middle of the jungle, La Chorrera is Colombia’s tallest waterfall and among it’s most striking natural attractions, hidden away in the mountains surrounding Bogota. Despite being less than an hour
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